No Crabs in the Bush and Gunpowder

Type: Tidal
Region: North Central
Location: Bush & Gunpowder River

Hi - After reading another DNR crabbing report of good crabbing in all areas of the bay, I just wanted to chime in that there are essentially no crabs in the Bush or Gunpowder Rivers and looking for any insight into why that might be. Tasting the water I can vouch that the salinity is very low but I've been crabbing there for 10 years in rainy years and dry years and I've never seen almost no crabs there this late in August. Especially after the dredge reports predicted such a good year.

DNR Response: The salinity near the mouth of the Patapsco was 14 ppt and the water temperature about 85 degrees this past week. We have heard from commercial crabbers that the best crabs are deep in many of the tidal rivers. I suspect based on water quality data that there is not sufficient oxygen in the areas you mention. This is a very stressful time for all creatures in the bay due to high water temperatures and algae die-offs which rob oxygen from deeper waters.